I had completely forgotten to add this the other day to the giveaways (I’m good like that). I ordinarily wouldn’t stamp in pink, I am so dreadfully predictable with my ink/color choices either neutral or shiny (I love metallics). I was inspired when I put together a package for one of my favorite bloggers and knew I couldn’t even think of sending her a parcel without it including pink, thus this shot was from a practice run to make sure the pink and the stamp were just right. This stamp is hopefully going to save a lot of people from not having a spare thank you card around, because you will be able to make as many as you can find paper to stamp on, really though why stop at paper?  You can stamp on ribbon, glass, wood, whatever you can dream up.

I did get feedback the other night that the stamps when wet dissolved the ‘adhesion’ from the lucite base.  I am so happy I got this note because I had been taking for granted that people know more about rubberstamps than they might. You do know what good it is to assume right? Please reference the Bad News Bears for that lesson. For the record Besotted Brand stamps are not permanently adhered to their base, they stick via static (the rubber is backed with a special cling material) which makes them removable for easy storage and to be able to create your own designs. I was assuming that people would know that but I guess I was wrong.  What I would love to know from all you creative + crafty folk (and your answer will enter you in the giveaway) is what I should be letting people know about how to use and care of ones rubber stamps, any tips or tricks? For those that don’t know much about the wonderful (and highly addictive) world of stamping is there a burning question you might have?  I will announce the winner on October 7, 2011.  Good Luck!

I fell in mad love with photographer Amy Neunsigner’s home when it was first featured in Blueprint  I thought the light was insanely beautiful and it seemed like a house that one could actually aspire to in its quaint simplicity. Then Amy went and created her current home + studio and I gasped when I first spied it in the pages of House Beautiful.  Again, the light was heavenly and I made a mental note to try to get invited to her abode one day. Well, that day has come and I have an appointment scheduled at 2 p.m. to actually see this beauty in person.  I have known about this for a couple of weeks now, but couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that this magical day was actually coming into fruition. I am beside myself with excitement.  Amy’s house is located in one of the most charming parts of Los Angeles. I honestly don’t know how I will be able to contain myself, it feels like the equivalent of meeting your favorite rock or movie star. Maybe with her permission I will be able to send some  IPhone pics via my tweets while I am there for the photo shoot (no, the shoot is not for me). I will be sure to let you know if it lives up to my expectations but I have a feeling it will be surpassing them.

P.S. We have out first winner for the Besotted Brand Archive labels and it is…Joy//Of Strange Sensibilities. I can’t wait to get these to her, you must check out her logo, it’s fabulous. Congrats Joy!  I can’t wait until tomorrow to announce more winners.

I am currently having a torrid love affair with Pinterest.  I can’t pin fast enough and the Fancy has exclaimed, ‘oh great, another place for you to catalog cute things,’ (said in a tone that isn’t that far off from sarcastic). I would be annoyed at him if I wasn’t so engrossed with this new outlet of my desires.  I had a hard time adopting to Twitter, I did finally and I do like it more now. Facebook, well I go on about once every six months, it just doesn’t have the same pull as Pinterest. I feel like Pinterest has a vibrant community of individuals that know exactly what I am missing on my virtual inspiration boards.  I am currently decorating my imaginary dream home, stock piling on industrial chic wares, creating a custom cute menagerie and the list continues.  I thought I would just be on there to try to help hock my goods, but oh no, that’s not likely with my being so distracted by shiny things and all.  Speaking of shiny things, I made a pit stop to the craft store to pick up some of Martha Stewart’s new ‘paint on virtually anything’ craft paints. I rushed to the craft store because it looked in the ad that the metallic paint was really metallic, almost like a foil, but alas that is not the case.  Of course it didn’t stop me from buying the paint (Martha needs a new wing at Skyland I’m sure). I still am eager to try the paint out and with holidays coming up and tons of Besotted Brand tutorials to do I am sure the paint will be a welcome asset to the craft tool box, right?

P.S. Don’t forget you still have time to enter to win here, here, here and here!  Please link your pins so I can check out your boards and procrastinate even more.

I have much to write about the above offering, but since I have to do about 8,000 things before 5p.m. today I am going to have to swing by later.  Please tell me you love this gorgeous stamp as much as I loved making it.  This is only one of two hands, the other is all lowercase which I also adore.  I promise to divulge the artist whom I collaborated on this fine specimen. I am also happy that I could show off the custom wood handle stamps, they are perfect for Besotted Brand. The box the stationery stamp comes in has a magnetic closure so a beautiful sleek, natural profile indeed and they are sized to work with an A2-A7 flat perfectly.  Think about all the stationery you can make yourself!  Never ever will you not have a thank you card or a quick hello at the ready.

I am going to be giving away one custom wood handled stationery stamp it will arrive in a signature Besotted Brand wood box. You  will have until next Friday October 7, 2011 to enter and I will announce the winner on October 8th. Just leave a comment, you can enter as many times as you help me spread the word. So comment and then pin this post, tweet it, facebook it, get a friend to join the mailing list and come back and leave a comment, whatever it takes, spread the word! These are also available for pre-order prior to the launch at a special discounted price, but you must sign-up for the newsletter to be in on that;)

P.S.  Thank you to all the amazing visitors from Making it Lovely, I am so happy to have you drop by my little virtual studio.

P.P.S. I would love to see your links to Pins + Tweets so I can stop by and thank you!
 

New York I love you, but the weather has not been pleasant.  Tuesday had to be 100% humidity. If you follow me on Twitter you would know that yesterday when I was running around from meeting to meeting that my t-shirt was soaked through and through and my hair, oh please, my hair looked liked I stuck my finger in a light socket.  Such a bad look. My event though, now that was a huge success, I was surrounded by so many editors from the top tier home magazines that I thought I might faint from being so star struck. Dara and Eugenia from everyone’s beloved Domino (now at Veranda), oh come on, does it get any better than that?  Yes, yes, it does, Margaret Russell the editor-in-chief of Architectural Digest and Michael Boodro the editor-in-chief of Elle Decor (who happens to be one of the nicest individuals ever). The girls from Lonny were at the event (be still my beating heart), Newell the editor-in-chief of House Beautiful. I am serious, little ol’ Miss B. was in the epicenter of the home publishing cognoscenti.  Do these people even have any idea how enamored I am by their books?  I love, love, love perusing through each and every one of their mags planning my future dream home(s) but who doesn’t?  Minus the humidity the night was sublime. BUT, I was equally as excited to come back to the hotel and post another giveaway!  The above is a wood handled stamp, I used this same style stamp for the muslin bags for my pretty parcels.  This is an actual ‘Fig. 1’ from an 18th century natural science plate.  I saw this and knew it was the one.  Believe me I bought a lot of these plates before I settled on the perfect ‘Fig. 1’. It’s tiny, as it should be, I am all about the petite.  Since this photograph was taken I convinced my manufacturer to custom make my wood handle stamps so they are more in line with Besotted Brand, they will have black handles and bleached natural wood at the base, a divine combination.  Most of my hand stamps are set up with lucite bases but I believe a beautiful wood handled stamp does have its place and I think makes a fine functional decorative element for your decor, no?

I am going to be giving one wood handled ‘Fig. 1’ stamp away, it will arrive in a signature Besotted Brand wood box for  safe storage. You  will have until next Wednesday October 5, 2011 to enter and I will announce the winner on October 6th. Just leave a comment, you can enter as many times as you help me spread the word. So comment and then pin this post, tweet it, facebook it, get a friend to join the mailing list and come back and leave a comment, whatever it takes, spread the word! Thank you to everyone that has been helping me spread the word, it is such a delight to see ‘Besotted Brand’ in lights, I can’t tell you enough how thrilled and grateful I am for all the love.  

P.S. Em asked about Souvenir Foto School and I will be doing a class as soon as the shop is launched and the events are over for work. I will make that announcement soon!